Straight line combos

[BojiHawk]

So...a buddy of mine tells me about looking at straight line combos at the show coming up in St Paul.  I said "What is that?"  So I looked it up and sure enough...it's like a little fly reel and supposed to take all the spin out of jig for panfish.

Question:  Has anyone here employed this set up and what are your thoughts?  Since I rarely find anything I don't have or at least heard of, it's a forgone conclusion to assume I will own one by next week out of pure curiosity.  But I wanted to opinion of the IS die-hards before I go blow a whole $50 on one.  That's a 1/2 tank of gas for crying out load!  :-) 

[Madpuppy]

As a matter of fact I'm in the process of rigging a pole to an old shakespear fly reel right now. I normally unwind by hand anyway so this made sense to me also. I am also going to look into a new rod-reel combo with what looks like a miniture baitcast reel, I have seen them at B.P.

[stumper]

I'm not sold on the fact that I need one,but I'm gonna set another one up.I'm going with the biggest reel I could get so that when I reel it is close to a ft of line per crank.I had a small reel set up last ye and didn't care. For it.'_
_

[BojiHawk]

Well Stumper....at least if you blow a tire on the quad you could always put the reel on as a spare.

[Slimdog]

I just picked mine up today.  Did the ship to store thing to Cabela's in Kearney.  Unfortunately, the tip on the 27" Quick tip is broke.  It was not packaged correctly.

I did however take a little time to play with the reel and I so far I like it.  It is not a top quality reel by any means, but in my opinion it is better that most in that price range.  It is left/right hand retrieve reversible.  I think it will be a great set up for shallow water (<10 ft.) fishing.  It has a pretty good sized knob.  The combo itself, feels pretty good in hand.   

[codewordcs1]

I bit on it. I haven't caught anything with size on it yet but it does feel good and your jig doesn't spin but the real test will have to wait until the ice gets here. All in all so far so good. I would say its worth the money. There's a  few other threads on this topic you could look at as well.

[surflizard]

I had one built and I took it out 2 weeks ago. With the ST Croix spring on it, it has to be the fastest hooksetting rod that I've ever run, Wow !! The spring movement intiates the hookset set without even thinking about it, like I said, its Fast ! The rod builder got the reel balance point Perfect, way to go Topher !

[Todd_NE]

The plus is a straight spool reel (fly or baitcasting) helps reduce line twist. This is especially nice when "pounding" small vertical jigs. Fly reels can be used under the rod, nice for holding all day.

The negatives are very slow line pick-up, ease of use, and possibly a difficult to adjust drag.

I've used them off and on the past two winters. I like them for shallow water sight fishing, I don't like them for anything else.

I own a half dozen fly reels anyway and the one nice thing I've found is that I can take my 5/6/7 size reels and just add 100' of line to my loop or leader and the line does NOT cut down into the fly line.

If you are not familiar with fly reel sizing, a 6 roughly is about the best size. They get bigger as they go up. Think 3/4 for panfish on a fly rod, 5/6/7 for trout and bass, 8 and up for salmon, tarpon, etc. (The reel size correlates to the rod size. A size 6 reel should go on a 6wt rod in general)

[surflizard]

Good points Todd, I only use it shallow water myself, as far as ease of use, I have to say that this new UL rod from T7 Custom rods is the cats meow for me, I was able to pound gills and perch with this set up 2 weeks ago till my jar of gulp fish fry was empty and the Gentz worm jig was stripped of all its paint ! ease of use was excellent, I hooked a 3 lb pikerel that grabbed my perch and the drag let the 2lb Gamma ESP line do its job ! Just my.02

[thesleddinfisher]

I usually get the twist out of the line on my spinning reels by just pulling the line out with the bail down and running the drag the first few times. Definitely make sure you're drags not set to heavy tho, don't take much to get the twist out.

[stumper]

Sooooooo, after all this,,, how  do you keep the jig from spinning on the fall?

[surflizard]

Didn't notice the jig spinning at all ??

[hankthecrank]

What I would like to know is why is this such a big thing, because someone actually is marketing it? This combo has been around for a long time and no one used it, but now it is a big thing because someone come up with a new name and is marketing it. I'm sorry but I'm not going to bite on this one. If it is such a great thing why has it not been marketed before?

[surflizard]

They have Brian Bro Brosdaul pushing it !

[UP jigstick]

That word right there, marketing, is the key. It is "new and improved", different, a hot ticket item, it is what all the pro's are using, etal. It is something to sell and frankly some 'need' the latest and greatest, stuff. I've been using a "Straight Line Combo" for several decades. It is a fiberglass rod with a wood dowel handle and a schooley reel. Now I will admit I did not pay $150.00, or whatever, for the set up but it performs the same purpose. Does it have the precision and tolerances of an Okuma reel paired with a custom rod, no, but I am simply trying to entice a 6" to 15" fish to come for a swim in my hot oil bath, not negotiate someones cerebral pathways with a scalpel.

[hankthecrank]

That word right there, marketing, is the key. It is "new and improved", different, a hot ticket item, it is what all the pro's are using, etal. It is something to sell and frankly some 'need' the latest and greatest, stuff. I've been using a "Straight Line Combo" for several decades. It is a fiberglass rod with a wood dowel handle and a schooley reel. Now I will admit I did not pay $150.00, or whatever, for the set up but it performs the same purpose. Does it have the precision and tolerances of an Okuma reel paired with a custom rod, no, but I am simply trying to entice a 6" to 15" fish to come for a swim in my hot oil bath, not negotiate someones cerebral pathways with a scalpel.

Thank you at least there are some people that agree with my thinking. Just like the O-Rings that are being marketed now as a means to attach your reel, I have been using that method for several years, I guess I missed out by not marketing that idea. Dummy me I should have been doing instead of thinking.

[surflizard]

Kinda comical when ya think about what the reel o rings were Originally designed for !!

[BojiHawk]

OK...thanks for the feedback.  Slimdog...you said "knob"   

I guess the issue I have is...I fish with a camera and when I'm after pannies and perch, I like Cajun Red line.  I just don't have a problem with a spinning jig...at all.  Don't know if I'm jsut lucky because I do watch other baits near mine and some have a very slow "unwind" prob due to temp change when the line goes from warm hut temps to nearly freezing.

Specific question:  When you set the hook, how do you keep the spool from spinning out?  I use 2 rods almost all the time so using a hand to hold the spool isn't appealing.  But for hole hopping...it might be cool.

[Slimdog]

Specific question:  When you set the hook, how do you keep the spool from spinning out?

I didn't get to put any line on it since I have to take it back, but I am thinking the drag will keep the spool from spinning on the hook set.  I suppose you could keep a thumb on the rim of the spool. 

Or hold the knob.  (Huh, huh I said knob again... )

[matt12]

you can really use the palm of your hand for a secondary drag system.

i found these to be 2x as sensitive which makes for a nice finesse approach for those finicky little buggers.

ill put out 2 spinning reels/deadsticks and hole hop with the fly reel (straight line) set up.

yea it reels slower, drops your bait down slower but it makes up for that in what you can do and how you can fish your jigs.  i also think its sometimes better to drop your bait down slower and below the fish zone and bring it back up ^^


only reason why they are marketing it now i think is that it has become pretty popular again in the last few years.

[BojiHawk]

so...it's basically a vertical Marmish / Euro style rig?  Might have to try one...need a new....something anyway.

[DasRottweiler]

only reason why they are marketing it now i think is that it has become pretty popular again in the last few years.

Exactly, people started utilizing flyreels and there was money to be had. Plain and simple. I built my own"Straightline Combos" by using cut-down rodtips and  homemade hardwood handles . Added  StCroix Springbobbers and  Cortland Fairplay Flyreels to bring the total to $22-$23 per setup. Using Gamma CoPolymer 2#. I`m interested in trying the setup in shallow water (10 or less). Hoping I dig em!
      
   

[Slimdog]

Very nice, DasRottweiler!

[easy 1]

do you get as much line twist as with a spinning reel. i need something to slow me down when winding fish in. real nice looking units including the spring bobber.

[DasRottweiler]

Very nice, DasRottweiler!

TY Sir!
 I got back into the Hardwater when Snowboarding, my other winter hobby, became so darn expensive. I had gotten laid-off and needed somthing to pass the time in winter that was inexpensive. Out came all the old gear for an upgrade. I do my best to keep Icefishing on a budget here , by trapping my own bait, building my own portable , and generally being handy if it is a cheaper alternative to buying. I have time , occasionally, but money is another matter all-together! I dig the tinkering anywayz! 
And $22 combos are easier to explain to the wife!

do you get as much line twist as with a spinning reel. i need something to slow me down when winding fish in. real nice looking units including the spring bobber.

Again TY. Eliminating line twist is the reason many switched back to schooleys from spinning reels and from spinning reels to flyreels. Take a look at the IceTech reels , they are simply ice-versions of flyreels made to reduce line twist.

[surflizard]

Hey ROTT

How are ya liking the cold snap reel wraps ?



Surf

[DasRottweiler]

Time will tell Surf. Got em on most of my rods now. Only 2 of my rods have reelseats, the rest are hardwood handles that once shoveled my driveway or dug out in the garden. Hoping the ColdSnaps are a better mousetrap. Lets just say I will have my tape in with my gear until I am satisfied.

[Slimdog]

I lucked out when I went to return the combo, as they had several in stock. I've spent a little more time with this reel.  No complaints about the quality, but after putting backing and line on, IMO it's a little small.  I don't see it a much more than a shallow water set up, but only time on the ice will tell. 

Now, if only we could get some fat-guy ice...

[DasRottweiler]

Glad ya got that "Straightened" out Slimdog. Some using flyreels prefer the smaller versions, apparently easier to palm/more comfortable. The smaller the reel , the less line you recover per handle turn, remember this ain`t yer 6.5 to1 buzzbait reel, it`s only 1 to 1 direct! I have large hands and think a larger flyreel would suit the purpose better. I let 2` of line off my reel with my flyreel combo and then did 2 strips off the reel. I can easily strip 8 ft plus the 2 ft allready past the rodtip = 10ft. I can pull more by extending arms furhter apart etc, but that may become difficult with winter clothing on. I figure 10-12 FOW max with these.

[Todd_NE]

Some people have mentioned this as a marketing ploy - of course it is. Things like this usually build momentum as secrets in tourneys, the info gets passed around in hushed tones, then "it" whatever it is bursts on the scene. People are early, middle and late adaptors - I  don't see this being a huge success because guys like spinning reels for the most part for small and medium sized fish. Jig spin can be overcome with a slower drop, doing better with pre-stretching line and so on but the fly reel deal is real - it will definitely help sight and shallow water anglers - my opinion.

Marketing - New products - Hot Sellers - It's not just fly reels on ice rods.

It was slow death hooks
Alabama Rigs (look it up if you haven't heard for casting)
Even tungsten ice jigs

Kudo's for Frabill to bringing something to the market. The WHOLE ice fishing market is a niche in reality.

For the guys who have jigs that never spin, I sincerely wish I had your talent!